For some two weeks now, Harold Varner III, one of just four of the PGA Tour’s 267 members of black heritage, has been a leading voice in the world of golf in addressing racial injustice and the unrest that has erupted from coast to coast following the death of George Floyd.
On podcasts, interviews and during a one-on-one with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan that was streamed over many social platforms, Varner spoke openly, honestly and eloquently about the difficult subject.
On Thursday, he let his clubs do the talking.
In the PGA Tour’s first action in 91 days, Varner shot a bogey-free, 7-under-par 63 to grab a share of the lead with Justin Rose in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Varner hit all 18 greens in regulation – just the third person to do that at Colonial in the past 25 years, one of the others being Tiger Woods – 10 of 14 fairways in regulation and needed just 29 putts.
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“Good to be back inside the ropes and just doing what I love to do, play golf and have fun. I’m pretty good at those two things, and they came together pretty well today,” Varner said. “I love playing golf. I work my tail off to play and to get back inside the ropes. No one is asking anything, you’re doing what you’re good at. Same thing, you’re asking me questions, you’re doing your job. I’m doing my job and I’m appreciative of that.”
Hot on the heels of Varner and Rose are world No. 4 Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Jhonattan Vegas and Abraham Ancer, all who signed for 64. A large group at 65 included past Colonial winner Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau, Gary Woodland and Xander Schauffele. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy and No. 3 Brooks Koepka each shot 68.
Varner, who is chasing his first PGA Tour title, missed the cut in his only other appearance at Colonial in 2017. But he took something from those two rounds: He learned he didn’t needed to hit driver to get a handle on the tight, tree-lined classical course. With an assortment of metal woods and long irons, Varner kept his ball in play this time around and attacked from there.
It also helped that he felt like a kid in a candy store inside the ropes.
“I woke up and I was like, am I really about to play golf?” he said. “I’ve been playing a lot of golf like at home just with a bunch of friends, but now this world excites me like no other because that’s what you want. That’s why you get on the PGA Tour, that’s why you work your tail off, and just to be here is good.
“It didn’t matter if I shot 80 today. I love playing golf, but you don’t realize it until it’s taken away from you.”
So Varner will be looking forward to getting up before the sun for his early tee time in the second round instead of looking forward to Sunday.
“If I’m thinking about winning a golf tournament right now, I’ve probably lost it,” he said. “I know what’s going on (in the world), but when I’m on the golf course, I’m trying to play well. The reason I have a platform is because I’m really good at golf. I just need to focus on that, and to be honest with you, being on the golf course, it helped me. It’s my getaway, I guess.
“But I didn’t think it would be like that until I got on the first hole and I hooked one super far left and I was pissed, like it was good. Those juices are awesome.”
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